Latent elastic nonwoven composite

ABSTRACT

A nonwoven composite that exhibits latent elastic properties is provided. More specifically, latent elasticity may be imparted by blending a thermoplastic elastomer with a polyolefin that is capable of forming semi-crystalline domains among the amorphous elastomeric chains, and then forming a film from the blend. The film is then stretched in one or more directions to orient the amorphous elastomer chains. Without intending to be limited by theory, the present inventors believe that the oriented state of the amorphous chains may be held in place by the relatively stiff semi-crystalline olefin domains. Subsequently, the stretched film may be activated (e.g., heated) to shrink the film and provide it with “latent” stretchability. For instance, the stretched film may be heated at or above the softening temperature of the polyolefin to soften the crystalline domains and allow the amorphous chains to return to their unoriented state. As a result of the present invention, the elastic film may be extended and recover from its unoriented state.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims filing benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/817,777 filed on Jun. 30, 2006, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Elastic composites are commonly incorporated into products (e.g., diapers, training pants, garments, etc.) to improve their ability to better fit the contours of the body. For example, the elastic composite may be formed from an elastic film and one or more nonwoven web materials. The nonwoven web material may be joined to the elastic film while the film is in a stretched condition so that the nonwoven web material can gather between the locations where it is bonded to the film when it is relaxed. The resulting elastic composite is stretchable to the extent that the nonwoven web material gathered between the bond locations allows the elastic film to elongate. Examples of stretch bonded composites are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,720,415 to Vander Wielen et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,775 to Wright. Unfortunately, however, the stretchable nature of the composites may cause problems during the manufacturing process of the ultimate products. For example, the force required to unwind the rolled composites may at least partially extend the elastic composite while the elastic article is in tension. This partial extension of the stretchable composite can make it difficult to properly measure and position the desired quantity of the elastic article in the final product.

As such, a need remains for elastic materials that have less than the final desired stretch during the process of cutting and placing the material in a final product, but which achieve the desired level of stretch after having been placed in the final product.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a method of forming a nonwoven composite is disclosed. The method comprises extruding a blend containing at least one thermoplastic elastomer and at least one semi-crystalline polyolefin, wherein the semi-crystalline polyolefin constitutes from about 30 wt. % to about 85 wt. % of the polymer content of the blend and the thermoplastic elastomer constitutes from about 15 wt. % to about 70 wt. % of the polymer content of the blend. A film is formed from the blend and the film is stretched in at least the machine direction without applying external heat (e.g., “cold stretched”). The stretched film is bonded to the nonwoven web material.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a nonwoven composite having latent elasticity is disclosed. The composite comprises a film laminated to a nonwoven web material. The film is formed from at least one thermoplastic elastomer and at least one semi-crystalline polyolefin, wherein the semi-crystalline polyolefin constitutes from about 30 wt. % to about 85 wt. % of the polymer content of the film and the thermoplastic elastomer constitutes from about 15 wt. % to about 70 wt. % of the polymer content of the film. The composite exhibits a heat shrinkage of about 40% or more after being heated in water at 160° F. for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

In accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention, a method for forming an absorbent article is disclosed. The method comprises fastening a nonwoven composite to one or more components of the article. The composite comprises a film and a nonwoven web material. The film is formed from at least one thermoplastic elastomer and at least one semi-crystalline polyolefin, wherein the semi-crystalline polyolefin constitutes from about 30 wt. % to about 85 wt. % of the polymer content of the film and the thermoplastic elastomer constitutes from about 15 wt. % to about 70 wt. % of the polymer content of the film. The composite is heated and allowed to retract, thereby increasing its stretchability.

Other features and aspects of the present invention are described in more detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth more particularly in the remainder of the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures in which:

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a method for forming a composite according to one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a personal care product that may be formed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent same or analogous features or elements of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF REPRESENTATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Definitions

As used herein the term “nonwoven fabric or web” generally refers to a web having a structure of individual fibers or threads which are interlaid, but not in an identifiable manner as in a knitted fabric. Examples of suitable nonwoven fabrics or webs include, but are not limited to, meltblown webs, spunbond webs, carded webs, etc. The basis weight of the nonwoven web material may generally vary, such as from about 5 grams per square meter (“gsm”) to 100 gsm, in some embodiments from about 10 gsm to about 70 gsm, and in some embodiments, from about 15 gsm to about 35 gsm.

As used herein, the term “meltblown web” generally refers to a nonwoven web that is formed by a process in which a molten thermoplastic material is extruded through a plurality of fine, usually circular, die capillaries as molten fibers into converging high velocity gas (e.g. air) streams that attenuate the fibers of molten thermoplastic material to reduce their diameter, which may be to microfiber diameter. Thereafter, the meltblown fibers are carried by the high velocity gas stream and are deposited on a collecting surface to form a web of randomly dispersed meltblown fibers. Such a process is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,241 to Butin, et al., which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto for all purposes. Generally speaking, meltblown fibers may be microfibers that are substantially continuous or discontinuous, generally smaller than 10 microns in diameter, and generally tacky when deposited onto a collecting surface.

As used herein, the term “spunbond web” generally refers to a web containing small diameter substantially continuous fibers. The fibers are formed by extruding a molten thermoplastic material from a plurality of fine, usually circular, capillaries of a spinnerette with the diameter of the extruded fibers then being rapidly reduced as by, for example, eductive drawing and/or other well-known spunbonding mechanisms. The production of spunbond webs is described and illustrated, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,563 to Appel, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,692,618 to Dorschner, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,817 to Matsuki, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,338,992 to Kinney, U.S. Pat. No. 3,341,394 to Kinney, U.S. Pat. No. 3,502,763 to Hartman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,502,538 to Levy, U.S. Pat. No. 3,542,615 to Dobo, et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,400 to Pike, et al., which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference thereto for all purposes. Spunbond fibers are generally not tacky when they are deposited onto a collecting surface. Spunbond fibers may sometimes have diameters less than about 40 microns, and are often between about 5 to about 20 microns.

As used herein, the terms “machine direction” or “MD” generally refers to the direction in which a material is produced. The term “cross-machine direction” or “CD” refers to the direction perpendicular to the machine direction. Dimensions measured in the cross-machine direction are referred to as “width” dimension, while dimensions measured in the machine direction are referred to as “length” dimensions.

As used herein the terms “extensible” or “extensibility” generally refers to a material that stretches or extends in the direction of an applied force by at least about 50% of its relaxed length or width. An extensible material does not necessarily have recovery properties. For example, an elastomeric material is an extensible material having recovery properties. A meltblown web may be extensible, but not have recovery properties, and thus, be an extensible, non-elastic material.

As used herein, the term “elastomeric” and “elastic” and refers to a material that, upon application of a stretching force, is stretchable in at least one direction (such as the CD direction), and which upon release of the stretching force, contracts/returns to approximately its original dimension. For example, a stretched material may have a stretched length that is at least 50% greater than its relaxed unstretched length, and which will recover to within at least 50% of its stretched length upon release of the stretching force. A hypothetical example would be a one (1) inch sample of a material that is stretchable to at least 1.50 inches and which, upon release of the stretching force, will recover to a length of not more than 1.25 inches. Desirably, the material contracts or recovers at least 50%, and even more desirably, at least 80% of the stretched length.

As used herein, the term “set” refers to retained elongation in a material sample following the elongation and recovery, i.e., after the material has been stretched and allowed to relax during a cycle test.

As used herein, the term “percent set” is the measure of the amount of the material stretched from its original length after being cycled (the immediate deformation following the cycle test). The percent set is where the retraction curve of a cycle crosses the elongation axis. The remaining strain after the removal of the applied stress is measured as the percent set.

As used herein, the term “percent stretch” refers to the degree to which a material stretches in a given direction when subjected to a certain force. In particular, percent stretch is determined by measuring the increase in length of the material in the stretched dimension, dividing that value by the original dimension of the material, and then multiplying by 100. Such measurements are determined using the “strip elongation test”, which is substantially in accordance with the specifications of ASTM D5035-95. Specifically, the test uses two clamps, each having two jaws with each jaw having a facing in contact with the sample. The clamps hold the material in the same plane, usually vertically, separated by 3 inches and move apart at a specified rate of extension. The sample size is 3 inches by 6 inches, with a jaw facing height of 1 inch and width of 3 inches, and a constant rate of extension of 300 mm/min. The specimen is clamped in, for example, a Sintech 2/S tester with a Renew MTS mongoose box (control) and using TESTWORKS 4.07b software (Sintech Corp, of Cary, N.C.). The test is conducted under ambient conditions. Results are generally reported as an average of three specimens and may be performed with the specimen in the cross direction (CD) and/or the machine direction (MD).

As used herein, the “hysteresis” value of a sample may be determined by first elongating the sample (“load up”) and then allowing the sample to retract (“load down”). The hysteresis value is the loss of energy during this cyclic loading.

As used herein, the term “nonwoven composite” generally refers to a material having at least one elastic material and at least one nonwoven web material. For example, the composite may contain an elastic film bonded to a nonwoven web material.

As used herein, the term “breathability” generally refers to the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of an area of a material. Breathability is measured in grams of water per square meter per day (g/m²/24 hours). The WVTR of a material may be measured in accordance with ASTM Standard E96-80. Alternatively, for materials having WVTR greater than about 3000 g/m²/24 hours testing systems such as, for example, the PERMATRAN-W 100K water vapor permeation analysis system, commercially available from Modern Controls, Inc. (MOCON) of Minneapolis, Minn., may be used. Further, as used herein the term “breathable” refers to a material having a WVTR of at least 300 g/m²/24 hours.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference now will be made in detail to various embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are set forth below. Each example is provided by way of explanation, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations may be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment, may be used on another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover such modifications and variations.

Generally speaking, the present invention is directed to a nonwoven composite that exhibits latent elastic properties. More specifically, latent elasticity may be imparted by blending a thermoplastic elastomer with a polyolefin that is capable of forming semi-crystalline domains among the amorphous elastomeric chains, and thereafter forming a film from the blend. The film is then stretched in one or more directions to orient the amorphous elastomer chains. Desirably, the film is “cold stretched” in at least the machine direction without applying external heat. Without intending to be limited by theory, the present inventors believe that the oriented state of the amorphous chains may be held in place by the relatively stiff semi-crystalline olefin domains. Subsequently, the stretched film may be activated (e.g., heated) to shrink the film and provide it with “latent” stretchability. For instance, the stretched film may be heated at or above the softening temperature of the polyolefin to soften the crystalline domains and allow the amorphous chains to return to their unoriented state. As a result of the present invention, the elastic film may be extended and recover from its unoriented state.

Any of a variety of thermoplastic elastomers may generally be employed in the present invention, such as elastomeric polyesters, elastomeric polyurethanes, elastomeric polyamides, elastomeric copolymers, and so forth. For example, the thermoplastic elastomer may be a substantially amorphous block copolymer having at least two blocks of a monoalkenyl arene polymer separated by at least one block of a saturated conjugated diene polymer. The monoalkenyl arene blocks may include styrene and its analogues and homologues, such as o-methyl styrene; p-methyl styrene; p-tert-butyl styrene; 1,3 dimethyl styrene p-methyl styrene; etc., as well as other monoalkenyl polycyclic aromatic compounds, such as vinyl naphthalene; vinyl anthrycene; and so forth. Preferred monoalkenyl arenes are styrene and p-methyl styrene. The conjugated diene blocks may include homopolymers of conjugated diene monomers, copolymers of two or more conjugated dienes, and copolymers of one or more of the dienes with another monomer in which the blocks are predominantly conjugated diene units. Preferably, the conjugated dienes contain from 4 to 8 carbon atoms, such as 1,3 butadiene (butadiene); 2-methyl-1,3 butadiene; isoprene; 2,3 dimethyl-1,3 butadiene; 1,3 pentadiene (piperylene); 1,3 hexadiene; and so forth.

The amount of monoalkenyl arene (e.g., polystyrene) blocks may vary, but typically constitute from about 8 wt. % to about 55 wt. %, in some embodiments from about 10 wt. % to about 35 wt. %, and in some embodiments, from about 25 wt. % to about 35 wt. % of the copolymer. Suitable block copolymers may contain monoalkenyl arene endblocks having a number average molecular weight from about 5,000 to about 35,000 and saturated conjugated diene midblocks having a number average molecular weight from about 20,000 to about 170,000. The total number average molecular weight of the block polymer may be from about 30,000 to about 250,000.

Particularly suitable thermoplastic elastomers are available from Kraton Polymers LLC of Houston, Tex. under the trade name KRATON®. KRATON® polymers include styrene-diene block copolymers, such as styrene-butadiene, styrene-isoprene, styrene-butadiene-styrene, and styrene-isoprene-styrene. KRATON® polymers also include styrene-olefin block copolymers formed by selective hydrogenation of styrene-diene block copolymers. Examples of such styrene-olefin block copolymers include styrene-(ethylene-butylene), styrene-(ethylene-propylene), styrene-(ethylene-butylene)-styrene, styrene-(ethylene-propylene)-styrene, styrene-(ethylene-butylene)-styrene-(ethylene-butylene), styrene-(ethylene-propylene)-styrene-(ethylene-propylene), and styrene-ethylene-(ethylene-propylene)-styrene. These block copolymers may have a linear, radial or star-shaped molecular configuration. Specific KRATON® block copolymers include those sold under the brand names G 1652, G 1657, G 1730, MD6673, and MD6973. Various suitable styrenic block copolymers are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,663,220, 4,323,534, 4,834,738, 5,093,422 and 5,304,599, which are hereby incorporated in their entirety by reference thereto for all purposes. Other commercially available block copolymers include the S-EP-S elastomeric copolymers available from Kuraray Company, Ltd. of Okayama, Japan, under the trade designation SEPTON®. Still other suitable copolymers include the S-I-S and S-B-S elastomeric copolymers available from Dexco Polymers of Houston, Tex. under the trade designation VECTOR®. Also suitable are polymers composed of an A-B-A-B tetrablock copolymer, such as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,613 to Taylor, et al., which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto for all purposes. An example of such a tetrablock copolymer is a styrene-poly(ethylene-propylene)-styrene-poly(ethylene-propylene) (“S-EP-S-EP”) block copolymer.

Other exemplary thermoplastic elastomers that may be used include polyurethane elastomeric materials such as, for example, those available under the trademark ESTANE from Noveon, polyamide elastomeric materials such as, for example, those available under the trademark PEBAX (polyether amide) from Atofina Chemicals Inc., of Philadelphia, Pa., and polyester elastomeric materials such as, for example, those available under the trade designation HYTREL from E.I. DuPont De Nemours & Company.

The semi-crystalline polyolefin of the present invention has or is capable of exhibiting a substantially regular structure. For example, the semi-crystalline polyolefin may be substantially amorphous in its undeformed state, but form crystalline domains upon stretching. Regardless, the degree of crystallinity of the polyolefin is generally high enough to enhance shrinkage, but low enough to avoid an adverse impact on the elastomeric characteristics of the film. For example, the degree of crystallinity of the olefin polymer may be from about 3% to about 30%, in some embodiments from about 5% to about 25%, and in some embodiments, from about 5% and about 15%. Likewise, the semi-crystalline polyolefin may have a latent heat of fusion (ΔH_(f)), which is another indicator of the degree of crystallinity, of from about 15 to about 75 Joules per gram (“J/g”), in some embodiments from about 20 to about 65 J/g, and in some embodiments, from 25 to about 50 J/g. The semi-crystalline polyolefin may also have a Vicat softening temperature of from about 10° C. to about 100° C., in some embodiments from about 20° C. to about 80° C., and in some embodiments, from about 30° C. to about 60° C. The semi-crystalline polyolefin may have a melting temperature of from about 20° C. to about 120° C., in some embodiments from about 35° C. to about 90° C., and in some embodiments, from about 40° C. to about 80° C. The latent heat of fusion (ΔH_(f)) and melting temperature may be determined using differential scanning calorimetry (“DSC”) in accordance with ASTM D-3417 as is well known to those skilled in the art. The Vicat softening temperature may be determined in accordance with ASTM D-1525.

Exemplary semi-crystalline polyolefins include polyethylene, polypropylene, blends and copolymers thereof. In one particular embodiment, a polyethylene is employed that is a copolymer of ethylene and an α-olefin, such as a C₃-C₂₀ α-olefin or C₃-C₁₂ α-olefin. Suitable α-olefins may be linear or branched (e.g., one or more C₁-C₃ alkyl branches, or an aryl group). Specific examples include 1-butene; 3-methyl-1-butene; 3,3-dimethyl-1-butene; 1-pentene; 1-pentene with one or more methyl, ethyl or propyl substituents; 1-hexene with one or more methyl, ethyl or propyl substituents; 1-heptene with one or more methyl, ethyl or propyl substituents; 1-octene with one or more methyl, ethyl or propyl substituents; 1-nonene with one or more methyl, ethyl or propyl substituents; ethyl, methyl or dimethyl-substituted 1-decene; 1-dodecene; and styrene. Particularly desired α-olefin comonomers are 1-butene, 1-hexene and 1-octene. The ethylene content of such copolymers may be from about 60 mole % to about 99 mole %, in some embodiments from about 80 mole % to about 98.5 mole %, and in some embodiments, from about 87 mole % to about 97.5 mole %. The α-olefin content may likewise range from about 1 mole % to about 40 mole %, in some embodiments from about 1.5 mole % to about 15 mole %, and in some embodiments, from about 2.5 mole % to about 13 mole %.

The density of the polyethylene may vary depending on the type of polymer employed, but generally ranges from 0.85 to 0.96 grams per cubic centimeter (“g/cm³”). Polyethylene “plastomers”, for instance, may have a density in the range of from 0.85 to 0.91 g/cm³. Likewise, “linear low density polyethylene” (“LLDPE”) may have a density in the range of from 0.91 to 0.940 g/cm³; “low density polyethylene” (“LDPE”) may have a density in the range of from 0.910 to 0.940 g/cm³; and “high density polyethylene” (“HDPE”) may have density in the range of from 0.940 to 0.960 g/cm³. Densities may be measured in accordance with ASTM 1505.

Particularly suitable polyethylene copolymers are those that are “linear” or “substantially linear.” The term “substantially linear” means that, in addition to the short chain branches attributable to comonomer incorporation, the ethylene polymer also contains long chain branches in that the polymer backbone. “Long chain branching” refers to a chain length of at least 6 carbons. Each long chain branch may have the same comonomer distribution as the polymer backbone and be as long as the polymer backbone to which it is attached. Preferred substantially linear polymers are substituted with from 0.01 long chain branch per 1000 carbons to 1 long chain branch per 1000 carbons, and in some embodiments, from 0.05 long chain branch per 1000 carbons to 1 long chain branch per 1000 carbons. In contrast to the term “substantially linear”, the term “linear” means that the polymer lacks measurable or demonstrable long chain branches. That is, the polymer is substituted with an average of less than 0.01 long chain branch per 1000 carbons.

The density of a linear ethylene/α-olefin copolymer is a function of both the length and amount of the α-olefin. That is, the greater the length of the α-olefin and the greater the amount of α-olefin present, the lower the density of the copolymer. Although not necessarily required, linear polyethylene “plastomers” are particularly desirable in that the content of α-olefin short chain branching content is such that the ethylene copolymer exhibits both plastic and elastomeric characteristics—i.e., a “plastomer.” Because polymerization with α-olefin comonomers decreases crystallinity and density, the resulting plastomer normally has a density lower than that of polyethylene thermoplastic polymers (e.g., LLDPE), but approaching and/or overlapping that of an elastomer. For example, the density of the polyethylene plastomer may be 0.91 grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm³) or less, in some embodiments, from 0.85 to 0.88 g/cm³, and in some embodiments, from 0.85 g/cm³ to 0.87 g/cm³. Despite having a density similar to elastomers, plastomers generally exhibit a higher degree of crystallinity, are relatively non-tacky, and may be formed into pellets that are non-adhesive and relatively free flowing.

The distribution of the α-olefin comonomer within a polyethylene plastomer is typically random and uniform among the differing molecular weight fractions forming the ethylene copolymer. This uniformity of comonomer distribution within the plastomer may be expressed as a comonomer distribution breadth index value (“CDBI”) of 60 or more, in some embodiments 80 or more, and in some embodiments, 90 or more. Further, the polyethylene plastomer may be characterized by a DSC melting point curve that exhibits the occurrence of a single melting point peak occurring in the region of 50 to 110° C. (second melt rundown). The polyethylene plastomer may also have a weight average molecular value of about 20,000 or greater, and in some embodiments, from about 70,000 to about 130,000. The molecular weight distribution (M_(w)/M_(n)) of the plastomer may be about 4.0 or less, in some embodiments about 3.5 or less, and in some embodiments, from about 1.8 to about 3.0.

Preferred plastomers for use in the present invention are ethylene-based copolymer plastomers available under the designation EXACT™ from ExxonMobil Chemical Company of Houston, Tex. Other suitable polyethylene plastomers are available under the designation ENGAGE™ from Dow Chemical Company of Midland, Mich. and the designation TAFMER™ from Mitsui Petrochemical Industries. Still other suitable ethylene polymers are available from The Dow Chemical Company under the designations DOWLEX™ (LLDPE), ATTANE™ (ULDPE), and AFFINITY™ (LLDPE). Other suitable ethylene polymers are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,299 to Ewen et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,071 to Tsutsui et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,236 to Lai, et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,278,272 to Lai, et al., which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference thereto for all purposes.

Of course, the present invention is by no means limited to the use of ethylene polymers. For instance, propylene polymers may also be suitable for use as the semi-crystalline polyolefin. Polypropylene polymers include homopolymers, random copolymers, block copolymers and terpolymers of propylene, semi-crystalline or amorphous; atactic, syndiotactic, or isotactic, or may be characterized by a combination of one or more of these properties. Copolymers or terpolymers of propylene include copolymers of propylene with an α-olefin (e.g., C₃-C₂₀), such as ethylene, 1-butene, 2-butene, the various pentene isomers, 1-hexene, 1-octene, 1-nonene, 1-decene, 1-unidecene, 1-dodecene, 4-methyl-1-pentene, 4-methyl-1-hexene, 5-methyl-1-hexene, vinylcyclohexene, styrene, etc. The comonomer content of the propylene polymer may be about 35 wt. % or less, in some embodiments from about 1 wt. % to about 20 wt. %, and in some embodiments, from about 2 wt. % to about 10 wt. %. Preferably, the density of the polypropylene (e.g., propylene/α-olefin copolymer) may be 0.91 grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm³) or less, in some embodiments, from 0.85 to 0.88 g/cm³, and in some embodiments, from 0.85 g/cm³ to 0.87 g/cm³. Suitable propylene polymers are commercially available under the designation ACHIEVE™ from ExxonMobil Chemical Co. of Houston, Tex.; FINA™ 8573 from Atofina Chemicals of Feluy, Belgium; or DS6D81 from the Dow Chemical Company of Midland, Mich. Other examples of suitable propylene polymers are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,500,563 to Datta, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,539,056 to Yang, et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,596,052 to Resconi, et al., which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference thereto for all purposes.

Any of a variety of known techniques may generally be employed to form the semi-crystalline olefin polymer. For instance, olefin polymers may be formed using a free radical or a coordination catalyst (e.g., Ziegler-Natta). Preferably, the olefin polymer is formed from a single-site coordination catalyst, such as a metallocene catalyst. Such a catalyst system produces ethylene copolymers in which the comonomer is randomly distributed within a molecular chain and uniformly distributed across the different molecular weight fractions. Metallocene-catalyzed polyolefins are described, for instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,619 to McAlpin et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,728 to Davis et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,775 to Obijeski et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,236 to Lai et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,090,325 to Wheat, et al., which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference thereto for all purposes. Examples of metallocene catalysts include bis(n-butylcyclopentadienyl)titanium dichloride, bis(n-butylcyclopentadienyl)zirconium dichloride, bis(cyclopentadienyl)scandium chloride, bis(indenyl)zirconium dichloride, bis(methylcyclopentadienyl)titanium dichloride, bis(methylcyclopentadienyl)zirconium dichloride, cobaltocene, cyclopentadienyltitanium trichloride, ferrocene, hafnocene dichloride, isopropyl(cyclopentadienyl,-1-flourenyl)zirconium dichloride, molybdocene dichloride, nickelocene, niobocene dichloride, ruthenocene, titanocene dichloride, zirconocene chloride hydride, zirconocene dichloride, and so forth. Polymers made using metallocene catalysts typically have a narrow molecular weight range. For instance, metallocene-catalyzed polymers may have polydispersity numbers (M_(w)/M_(n)) of below 4, controlled short chain branching distribution, and controlled isotacticity.

The melt flow index (MI) of the semi-crystalline olefin polymer may generally vary, but is typically in the range of about 0.1 grams per 10 minutes to about 100 grams per 10 minutes, in some embodiments from about 0.5 grams per 10 minutes to about 30 grams per 10 minutes, and in some embodiments, about 1 to about 10 grams per 10 minutes, determined at 190° C. The melt flow index (MI) of the thermoplastic elastomer may likewise range of about 0.1 grams per 10 minutes to about 100 grams per 10 minutes, in some embodiments from about 0.5 grams per 10 minutes to about 30 grams per 10 minutes, and in some embodiments, about 1 to about 10 grams per 10 minutes, determined at 230° C. The melt flow index is the weight of the polymer (in grams) that may be forced through an extrusion rheometer orifice (0.0825-inch diameter) when subjected to a force of 5000 grams in 10 minutes at a certain temperature (e.g., 190° C. or 230° C.), and may be determined in accordance with ASTM Test Method D1238-E.

The relative amount of each constituent of the polymer blend is selectively controlled in accordance with the present invention to achieve a balance between the mechanical and thermal properties of the film. For example, the ratio of the amount of the semi-crystalline polyolefin(s) to the amount of the thermoplastic elastomer(s) may range from about 0.5 to about 10.0, in some embodiments, from about 0.75 to about 5.0, and in some embodiments, from about 1.0 to about 2.0. The thermoplastic elastomer(s) may also constitute from about 15 wt. % to about 70 wt. %, in some embodiments from about 20 wt. % to about 65 wt. %, and in some embodiments, from about 30 wt. % to about 60 wt. % of the polymer content of the film. Likewise, the semi-crystalline polyolefin(s) may constitute from about 30 wt. % to about 85 wt. %, in some embodiments from about 35 wt. % to about 80 wt. %, and in some embodiments, from about 40 wt. % to about 70 wt. % of the polymer content of the film. The thermoplastic elastomer(s) may also constitute from about 25 wt. % to about 70 wt. %, in some embodiments from about 30 wt. % to about 65 wt. %, and in some embodiments, from about 35 wt. % to about 60 wt. % of the entire film. Semi-crystalline polyolefin(s) may constitute from about 30 wt. % to about 75 wt. %, in some embodiments from about 35 wt. % to about 70 wt. %, and in some embodiments, from about 40 wt. % to about 65 wt. % of the polymer content of the film. It should of course be understood that other polymers may also be employed in the film. When utilized, however, the other polymers typically constitute about 10 wt. % or less, and in some embodiments, about 5 wt. % or less of the polymer content of the film.

Besides polymers, the elastic film of the present invention may also contain other components as is known in the art. In one embodiment, for example, the elastic film contains a filler for imparting breathability to the film. Fillers are particulates or other forms of material that may be added to the film polymer extrusion blend and that will not chemically interfere with the extruded film, but which may be uniformly dispersed throughout the film. The fillers have a spherical or non-spherical shape with average particle sizes in the range of from about 0.1 to about 7 microns. Examples of suitable fillers include, but are not limited to, calcium carbonate, various kinds of clay, silica, alumina, barium carbonate, sodium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, talc, barium sulfate, magnesium sulfate, aluminum sulfate, titanium dioxide, zeolites, cellulose-type powders, kaolin, mica, carbon, calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, aluminum hydroxide, pulp powder, wood powder, cellulose derivatives, chitin and chitin derivatives. A suitable coating, such as stearic acid, may also be applied to the filler particles if desired. When utilized, the filler content may vary, such as from about 25 wt. % to about 75 wt. %, in some embodiments, from about 30 wt. % to about 70 wt. %, and in some embodiments, from about 40 wt. % to about 60 wt. % of the film.

Filled films may be made breathable by stretching, which causes the polymer to break away from the filler and create microporous passageways. Stretching of the film may be accomplished, for instance, using a machine direction orienter. Breathable microporous elastic films are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,015,764 and 6,111,163 to McCormack, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,932,497 to Morman, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,461,457 to Taylor, et al., which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference thereto for all purposes. Exemplary multilayer breathable films are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,981 to McCormack et al., which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto for all purposes.

Of course, the elastic film of the present invention may also be made breathable using other known techniques. For instance, a cellular elastic film may be used to provide breathability. Breathable cellular elastic films may be produced by mixing the polymer blend with a cell-opening agent that decomposes or reacts to release a gas to form cells in the elastic film. The cell opening agent may be an azodicarbonamide, fluorocarbon, low boiling point solvent (e.g., methylene chloride, water, etc.) and other cell-opening or blowing agents known in the art to create a vapor at the temperature experienced in the film die extrusion process. Exemplary cellular elastic films are described in WO 00/39201 to Thomas et al., which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto for all purposes. Breathability may also be imparted without concern for its barrier properties. In such circumstances, either the elastic film itself or the entire elastic composite may be apertured or perforated to provide a composite capable of allowing the passage of vapors or gases. Such perforations or apertures may be performed by methods known in the art, such as slit aperturing or pin aperturing with heated or ambient temperature pins.

Other additives may also be incorporated into the film, such as melt stabilizers, processing stabilizers, heat stabilizers, light stabilizers, antioxidants, heat aging stabilizers, whitening agents, antiblocking agents, bonding agents, tackifiers, viscosity modifiers, etc. Examples of suitable tackifier resins may include, for instance, hydrogenated hydrocarbon resins. REGALREZ™ hydrocarbon resins are examples of such hydrogenated hydrocarbon resins, and are available from Eastman Chemical. Other tackifiers are available from ExxonMobil under the ESCOREZ™ designation. Viscosity modifiers may also be employed, such as polyethylene wax (e.g., EPOLENE™ C-10 from Eastman Chemical). Phosphite stabilizers (e.g., IRGAFOS available from Ciba Specialty Chemicals of Terrytown, N.Y. and DOVERPHOS available from Dover Chemical Corp. of Dover, Ohio) are exemplary melt stabilizers. In addition, hindered amine stabilizers (e.g., CHIMASSORB available from Ciba Specialty Chemicals) are exemplary heat and light stabilizers. Further, hindered phenols are commonly used as an antioxidant in the production of films. Some suitable hindered phenols include those available from Ciba Specialty Chemicals of under the trade name “Irganox®”, such as Irganox® 1076, 1010, or E 201. Moreover, bonding agents may also be added to the film to facilitate bonding of the film to additional materials (e.g., nonwoven web). When employed, such additives (e.g., tackifier, antioxidant, stabilizer, etc.) may each be present in an amount from about 0.001 wt. % to about 25 wt. %, in some embodiments, from about 0.005 wt. % to about 20 wt. %, and in some embodiments, from 0.01 wt. % to about 15 wt. % of the film.

The elastic film of the present invention may be mono- or multi-layered. Multilayer films may be prepared by co-extrusion of the layers, extrusion coating, or by any conventional layering process. Such multilayer films normally contain at least one base layer and at least one skin layer, but may contain any number of layers desired. For example, the multilayer film may be formed from a base layer and one or more skin layers, wherein the base layer is formed from a blend of an thermoplastic elastomer and semi-crystalline polyolefin in accordance with the present invention. In such embodiments, the skin layer(s) may be formed from any film-forming polymer. If desired, the skin layer(s) may contain a softer, lower melting polymer or polymer blend that renders the layer(s) more suitable as heat seal bonding layers for thermally bonding the film to a nonwoven web. In most embodiments, the skin layer(s) are formed from an olefin polymer such as described above. Additional film-forming polymers that may be suitable for use with the present invention, alone or in combination with other polymers, include ethylene vinyl acetate, ethylene ethyl acrylate, ethylene acrylic acid, ethylene methyl acrylate, ethylene normal butyl acrylate, nylon, ethylene vinyl alcohol, polystyrene, polyurethane, and so forth.

The thickness of the skin layer(s) is generally selected so as not to substantially impair the elastomeric properties of the film. To this end, each skin layer may separately comprise from about 0.5% to about 15% of the total thickness of the film, and in some embodiments from about 1% to about 10% of the total thickness of the film. For instance, each skin layer may have a thickness of from about 0.1 to about 10 micrometers, in some embodiments from about 0.5 to about 5 micrometers, and in some embodiments, from about 1 to about 2.5 micrometers. Likewise, the base layer may have a thickness of from about from about 1 to about 40 micrometers, in some embodiments from about 2 to about 25 micrometers, and in some embodiments, from about 5 to about 20 micrometers.

The properties of the resulting film may generally vary as desired. For instance, prior to stretching, the film typically has a basis weight of about 100 grams per square meter or less, and in some embodiments, from about 50 to about 75 grams per square meter. Upon stretching, the film typically has a basis weight of about 60 grams per square meter or less, and in some embodiments, from about 15 to about 35 grams per square meter. The stretched film may also have a total thickness of from about 1 to about 100 micrometers, in some embodiments, from about 10 to about 80 micrometers, and in some embodiments, from about 20 to about 60 micrometers.

The elastic film of the present invention exhibits good latent stretch properties for use in a wide variety of applications. One measurement that is indicative of the latent stretch properties of the film is the heat shrinkage performance, which is a measure of recoverable deformation upon activation. A very high level of heat shrinkage may be achieved in the present invention, such as about 40% or more, in some embodiments about 50% or more, and in some embodiments, about 60% or more. As described in the “Test Methods” below, heat shrinkage is determined by heating the material in water at 160° F. for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Alternatively, shrinkage may be determined using ASTM D2838-02. Any known method of activation may generally be employed in the present invention, including the application of heat, radiation (e.g., microwave), as well as chemical or mechanical treatments. Heat activation may be accomplished at temperatures of from about 50° C. to about 100° C., in some embodiments from about 60° C. to about 90° C., and in some embodiments, from about 70° C. to about 80° C. Any of a variety of techniques may be used to apply heat to the film, such as heated rolls, oven heating, and so forth.

Generally speaking, the elastic film may be bonded to one or more nonwoven web materials to form a composite that is extensible and/or elastic in the machine direction and/or cross-machine direction. Polymers suitable for making nonwoven webs include, for example, polyolefins, e.g., polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene, etc.; polytetrafluoroethylene; polyesters, e.g., polyethylene terephthalate and so forth; polyvinyl acetate; polyvinyl chloride acetate; polyvinyl butyral; acrylic resins, e.g., polyacrylate, polymethylacrylate, polymethylmethacrylate, and so forth; polyamides, e.g., nylon; polyvinyl chloride; polyvinylidene chloride; polystyrene; polyvinyl alcohol; polyurethanes; polylactic acid; copolymers thereof; and so forth. If desired, biodegradable polymers, such as those described above, may also be employed. Synthetic or natural cellulosic polymers may also be used, including but not limited to, cellulosic esters; cellulosic ethers; cellulosic nitrates; cellulosic acetates; cellulosic acetate butyrates; ethyl cellulose; regenerated celluloses, such as viscose, rayon, and so forth. It should be noted that the polymer(s) may also contain other additives, such as processing aids or treatment compositions to impart desired properties to the fibers, residual amounts of solvents, pigments or colorants, and so forth.

If desired, the nonwoven web material used to form the nonwoven composite may have a multi-layer structure. Suitable multi-layered materials may include, for instance, spunbond/meltblown/spunbond (SMS) laminates and spunbond/meltblown (SM) laminates. Various examples of suitable SMS laminates are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,203 to Brock et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,881 to Timmons, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,688 to Timmons, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,888 to Bornslaeger; U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,706 to Collier, et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,029 to Brock et al., which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference thereto for all purposes. In addition, commercially available SMS laminates may be obtained from Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the designations Spunguard® and Evolution®.

Another example of a multi-layered structure is a spunbond web produced on a multiple spin bank machine in which a spin bank deposits fibers over a layer of fibers deposited from a previous spin bank. Such an individual spunbond nonwoven web may also be thought of as a multi-layered structure. In this situation, the various layers of deposited fibers in the nonwoven web may be the same, or they may be different in basis weight and/or in terms of the composition, type, size, level of crimp, and/or shape of the fibers produced. As another example, a single nonwoven web may be provided as two or more individually produced layers of a spunbond web, a carded web, etc., which have been bonded together to form the nonwoven web. These individually produced layers may differ in terms of production method, basis weight, composition, and fibers as discussed above.

A nonwoven web material may also contain an additional fibrous component such that it is considered a composite. For example, a nonwoven web may be entangled with another fibrous component using any of a variety of entanglement techniques known in the art (e.g., hydraulic, air, mechanical, etc.). In one embodiment, the nonwoven web is integrally entangled with cellulosic fibers using hydraulic entanglement. A typical hydraulic entangling process utilizes high pressure jet streams of water to entangle fibers to form a highly entangled consolidated fibrous structure, e.g., a nonwoven fabric. Hydraulically entangled nonwoven fabrics of staple length and continuous fibers are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,494,821 to Evans and U.S. Pat. No. 4,144,370 to Boulton, which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference thereto for all purposes. Hydraulically entangled composite nonwoven fabrics of a continuous fiber nonwoven web and a pulp layer are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,284,703 to Everhart, et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,864 to Anderson, et al., which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference thereto for all purposes. The fibrous component of the composite may contain any desired amount of the resulting substrate. The fibrous component may contain greater than about 50% by weight of the composite, and in some embodiments, from about 60% to about 90% by weight of the composite. Likewise, the nonwoven web may contain less than about 50% by weight of the composite, and in some embodiments, from about 10% to about 40% by weight of the composite.

Although not required, the nonwoven web material may necked or stretched in one or more directions prior to lamination to the film of the present invention. Suitable techniques necking techniques are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,336,545, 5,226,992, 4,981,747 and 4,965,122 to Morman, as well as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0121687 to Morman, et al. Alternatively, the nonwoven web may remain relatively inextensible in at least one direction prior to lamination to the film. In such embodiments, the nonwoven web may be optionally stretched in one or more directions subsequent to lamination to the film. In this regard, various embodiments of the lamination method will now be described in greater detail. Of course, it should be understood that the description provided below is merely exemplary, and that other methods are contemplated by the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, for instance, one embodiment of a method for forming a composite from an elastic film and a nonwoven web material is shown. As shown, the raw materials (e.g., thermoplastic elastomer and semi-crystalline polyolefin) may be dry mixed together (i.e., without a solvent) and added to a hopper (not shown) of an extrusion apparatus 40. The raw materials may alternatively be blended with a solvent. In the hopper, the materials are dispersively mixed in the melt and compounded using any known technique, such as batch and/or continuous compounding techniques that employ, for example, a Banbury mixer, Farrel continuous mixer, single screw extruder, twin screw extruder, etc.

Any known technique may be used to form a film from the compounded material, including blowing, casting, flat die extruding, etc. In one particular embodiment, the film may be formed by a blown process in which a gas (e.g., air) is used to expand a bubble of the extruded polymer blend through an annular die. The bubble is then collapsed and collected in flat film form. Processes for producing blown films are described, for instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,354,506 to Raley; U.S. Pat. No. 3,650,649 to Schippers; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,801,429 to Schrenk et al., as well as U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2005/0245162 to McCormack, et al. and 2003/0068951 to Boggs, et al., all of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference thereto for all purposes. For example, in the particular embodiment of FIG. 1, the compounded material (not shown) is supplied to the extrusion apparatus 40 and then blown into nip rolls 42 to form a single-layered precursor elastic film 10. If a multilayer film is to be produced, the multiple layers are co-extruded together into the nip rolls 42. Typically, the rolls 42 are kept at temperature sufficient to solidify and quench the elastic film 10 as it is formed, such as from about 20 to 60° C.

As noted above, the latent character of the film of the present invention may be introduced through stretch-orientation. Although not required, the film may be stretched in-line without having to remove the film for separate processing. For example, the film may be immediately drawn by rolls rotating at different speeds of rotation so that the sheet is stretched to the desired draw ratio in the longitudinal direction (machine direction). This “uniaxially” stretched film may then be laminated to a fibrous web. In addition, the uniaxially stretched film may also be oriented in the cross-machine direction to form a “biaxially stretched” film. For example, the film may be clamped at its lateral edges by chain clips and conveyed into a tenter oven. In the tenter oven, the film may be drawn in the cross-machine direction to the desired draw ratio by chain clips diverged in their forward travel.

To achieve the desired latent elasticity of the film, various parameters of the stretching operation may be selectively controlled, including the draw ratio, stretching temperature, and so forth. The draw ratio may be determined by dividing the linear speed of the film exiting the stretching operation by the linear speed of the film entering the stretching operation. In some embodiments, for example, the film is stretched in the machine direction at a draw ratio of from about 1.0 to about 7.0, in some embodiments from about 1.5 to about 5.0, and in some embodiments, from about 2.5 to about 4.5. The orientation temperature profile is chosen to deliver the desired shrink mechanical properties, such as shrink tension and shrink percentage. More specifically, the orientation temperature is less than the melting temperature of the semi-crystalline polyolefin. For example, the film may be stretched at a temperature from about 15° C. to about 50° C., in some embodiments from about 25° C. to about 40° C., and in some embodiments, from about 30° C. to about 40° C. Preferably, the film is “cold drawn”, i.e., stretched without the application of external heat (e.g., heated rollers), to improve latent elasticity.

Referring again to FIG. 1, one method for forming a uniaxially stretched film is shown. In the illustrated embodiment, the film is stretched and thinned in the machine direction by passing through a first set of rolls 46 traveling at a speed that is slower than a second set of rolls 46. While four rolls 46 are illustrated in FIG. 1, it should be understood that the number of rolls may be higher or lower, depending on the level of stretch that is desired and the degrees of stretching between each roll. The film may be stretched in either single or multiple discrete stretching operations. Alternatively, the elastic film may also be stretched using a conventional film-orientation unit or machine direction orienter (“MDO”), such as commercially available from Marshall and Williams, Co. of Providence, R.I.

A nonwoven web is also employed for laminating to the stretched elastic film 10. For example, a nonwoven web 30 may simply be unwound from a supply roll 22 as shown in FIG. 1. Alternatively, the nonwoven web may be formed in-line, such as by dispensing polymer filaments from a pair of spinnerettes onto a conveyor assembly. In FIG. 1, the web 30 is compressed to form inter-filament bonding using a pair of nip rollers 56. Following compaction, the nonwoven web 30 is directed to a nip defined between rolls 58 for laminating to the elastic film 10. Various techniques may be utilized to bond the elastic film 10 to the nonwoven web 30, including adhesive bonding, such as through slot or spray adhesive systems; thermal bonding; ultrasonic bonding; microwave bonding; extrusion coating; and so forth. Examples of suitable adhesives that may be used in an adhesive bonding system include Rextac 2730 and 2723 available from Huntsman Polymers of Houston, Tex., as well as adhesives available from Bostik Findley, Inc, of Wauwatosa, Wis. The basis weight of the adhesive may be between about 1.0 and 3.0 gsm. The type and basis weight of the adhesive used will be determined on the elastic attributes desired in the final composite and end use. Although not required, the adhesive may be applied directly to the nonwoven web prior to lamination with the film. Further, to achieve improve drape, the adhesive may be applied in a pattern.

In FIG. 1, the elastic film 10 is simultaneously bonded on its other side to a second material 30 a originating from a supply roll 62 and passing through nip rollers 56 a. The second material 30 a may be a second nonwoven web, or another film. The resulting composite 32 is wound and stored on a take-up roll 60. Optionally, the composite 32 may be allowed to slightly retract prior to winding on to the take-up roll 60. This may be achieved by using a slower linear velocity for the roll 60. More preferably, however, the composite 32 is kept under tension, such as by using the same linear velocity for the roll 60 as the speed of one or more of the stretching rollers 46.

While not shown here, various additional potential processing and/or finishing steps known in the art, such as slitting, treating, aperturing, printing graphics, etc., may be performed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For instance, the resulting composite may optionally be mechanically stretched in the cross-machine and/or machine directions to enhance extensibility. In one embodiment, the composite may be coursed through two or more rolls that have grooves in the CD and/or MD directions. Such grooved satellite/anvil roll arrangements are described in PCT Publication No. WO 04/020174 to Gerndt, et al. Besides grooved rolls, other techniques may also be used to mechanically stretch the composite in one or more directions. For example, the composite may be passed through a tenter frame, such as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0121687 to Morman, et al. The composite may also be necked.

Generally speaking, composites may be formed according to the present invention that exhibit a potential shrinkage substantially similar to the elastic film contained therein. For example, the potential shrinkage of the composite may be about 40% or more, in some embodiments about 50% or more, and in some embodiments, about 60% or more. As a result, the composite may be more easily processed into an end product because it is less elastic prior to activation, and thus more dimensionally stable. In one embodiment, for example, a latent elastic composite may be incorporated into an absorbent article. During the conversion process, the latent elastic composite may be activated through the application of heat, such as during the curing process for an adhesive used to attach together various components of the product. Because the latent elastic composite has a greater dimensional stability prior to activation than highly elastic materials, enhanced processing efficiencies may be realized. For example, the composite need not be maintained in a mechanically stretched condition during attachment to other components of the product. This allows for greater freedom in the location and manner in which the adhesive is applied.

The latent elastic film of the present invention may be used in a wide variety of applications. As noted above, for example, the elastic film may be used in an absorbent article. An “absorbent article” generally refers to any article capable of absorbing water or other fluids. Examples of some absorbent articles include, but are not limited to, personal care absorbent articles, such as diapers, training pants, absorbent underpants, incontinence articles, feminine hygiene products (e.g., sanitary napkins), swim wear, baby wipes, and so forth; medical absorbent articles, such as garments, fenestration materials, underpads, bedpads, bandages, absorbent drapes, and medical wipes; food service wipers; clothing articles; and so forth. Materials and processes suitable for forming such absorbent articles are well known to those skilled in the art. Typically, absorbent articles include a substantially liquid-impermeable layer (e.g., outer cover), a liquid-permeable layer (e.g., bodyside liner, surge layer, etc.), and an absorbent core. In one particular embodiment, the elastic film of the present invention may be used in providing elastic waist, leg cuff/gasketing, stretchable ear, side panel or stretchable outer cover applications.

Various embodiments of an absorbent article that may be formed according to the present invention will now be described in more detail. Referring to FIG. 2, for example, one embodiment of a disposable diaper 250 is shown that generally defines a front waist section 255, a rear waist section 260, and an intermediate section 265 that interconnects the front and rear waist sections. The front and rear waist sections 255 and 260 include the general portions of the diaper which are constructed to extend substantially over the wearer's front and rear abdominal regions, respectively, during use. The intermediate section 265 of the diaper includes the general portion of the diaper that is constructed to extend through the wearer's crotch region between the legs. Thus, the intermediate section 265 is an area where repeated liquid surges typically occur in the diaper.

The diaper 250 includes, without limitation, an outer cover, or backsheet 270, a liquid permeable bodyside liner, or topsheet, 275 positioned in facing relation with the backsheet 270, and an absorbent core body, or liquid retention structure, 280, such as an absorbent pad, which is located between the backsheet 270 and the topsheet 275. The backsheet 270 defines a length, or longitudinal direction 286, and a width, or lateral direction 285 which, in the illustrated embodiment, coincide with the length and width of the diaper 250. The liquid retention structure 280 generally has a length and width that are less than the length and width of the backsheet 270, respectively. Thus, marginal portions of the diaper 250, such as marginal sections of the backsheet 270 may extend past the terminal edges of the liquid retention structure 280. In the illustrated embodiments, for example, the backsheet 270 extends outwardly beyond the terminal marginal edges of the liquid retention structure 280 to form side margins and end margins of the diaper 250. The topsheet 275 is generally coextensive with the backsheet 270 but may optionally cover an area that is larger or smaller than the area of the backsheet 270, as desired.

To provide improved fit and to help reduce leakage of body exudates from the diaper 250, the diaper side margins and end margins may be elasticized with suitable elastic members, as further explained below. For example, as representatively illustrated in FIG. 2, the diaper 250 may include leg elastics 290 constructed to operably tension the side margins of the diaper 250 to provide elasticized leg bands which can closely fit around the legs of the wearer to reduce leakage and provide improved comfort and appearance. Waist elastics 295 are employed to elasticize the end margins of the diaper 250 to provide elasticized waistbands. The waist elastics 295 are configured to provide a resilient, comfortably close fit around the waist of the wearer. The latently elastic materials of the present invention are suitable for use as the leg elastics 290 and waist elastics 295. Exemplary of such materials are laminate sheets that either comprise or are adhered to the backsheet, such that elastic constrictive forces are imparted to the backsheet 270.

As is known, fastening means, such as hook and loop fasteners, may be employed to secure the diaper 250 on a wearer. Alternatively, other fastening means, such as buttons, pins, snaps, adhesive tape fasteners, cohesives, fabric-and-loop fasteners, or the like, may be employed. In the illustrated embodiment, the diaper 250 includes a pair of side panels 300 (or ears) to which the fasteners 302, indicated as the hook portion of a hook and loop fastener, are attached. Generally, the side panels 300 are attached to the side edges of the diaper in one of the waist sections 255, 260 and extend laterally outward therefrom. The side panels 300 may be elasticized or otherwise rendered elastomeric by use of a latently elastic materials of the present invention. Examples of absorbent articles that include elasticized side panels and selectively configured fastener tabs are described in PCT Patent Application WO 95/16425 to Roessler; U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,219 to Roessler et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,796 to Fries; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,618 to Fries, each of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto for all purposes.

The diaper 250 may also include a surge management layer 305, located between the topsheet 275 and the liquid retention structure 280, to rapidly accept fluid exudates and distribute the fluid exudates to the liquid retention structure 280 within the diaper 250. The diaper 250 may further include a ventilation layer (not illustrated), also called a spacer, or spacer layer, located between the liquid retention structure 280 and the backsheet 270 to insulate the backsheet 270 from the liquid retention structure 280 to reduce the dampness of the garment at the exterior surface of a breathable outer cover, or backsheet, 270. Examples of suitable surge management layers 305 are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,486,166 to Bishop and U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,846 to Ellis.

As representatively illustrated in FIG. 2, the disposable diaper 250 may also include a pair of containment flaps 310 which are configured to provide a barrier to the lateral flow of body exudates. The containment flaps 310 may be located along the laterally opposed side edges of the diaper adjacent the side edges of the liquid retention structure 280. Each containment flap 310 typically defines an unattached edge that is configured to maintain an upright, perpendicular configuration in at least the intermediate section 265 of the diaper 250 to form a seal against the wearer's body. The containment flaps 310 may extend longitudinally along the entire length of the liquid retention structure 280 or may only extend partially along the length of the liquid retention structure. When the containment flaps 310 are shorter in length than the liquid retention structure 280, the containment flaps 310 can be selectively positioned anywhere along the side edges of the diaper 250 in the intermediate section 265. Such containment flaps 310 are generally well known to those skilled in the art. For example, suitable constructions and arrangements for containment flaps 310 are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,116 to Enloe.

The diaper 250 may be of various suitable shapes. For example, the diaper may have an overall rectangular shape, T-shape or an approximately hour-glass shape. In the shown embodiment, the diaper 250 has a generally I-shape. Other suitable components which may be incorporated on absorbent articles of the present invention may include waist flaps and the like which are generally known to those skilled in the art. Examples of diaper configurations suitable for use in connection with the latently elastic materials of the present invention that may include other components suitable for use on diapers are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,603 to Meyer et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,668 to Bernardin; U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,672 to Bruemmer et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,606 to Proxmire et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,915 to Hanson et al., which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference thereto for all purposes.

The various regions and/or components of the diaper 201 may be assembled together using any known attachment mechanism, such as adhesive, ultrasonic, thermal bonds, etc. Suitable adhesives may include, for instance, hot melt adhesives, pressure-sensitive adhesives, and so forth. When utilized, the adhesive may be applied as a uniform layer, a patterned layer, a sprayed pattern, or any of separate lines, swirls or dots. In the illustrated embodiment, for example, the topsheet 275 and backsheet 270 may be assembled to each other and to the liquid retention structure 280 with lines of adhesive, such as a hot melt, pressure-sensitive adhesive. Similarly, other diaper components, such as the elastic members 290 and 295, fastening members 302, and surge layer 305 may be assembled into the article by employing the above-identified attachment mechanisms.

Although various configurations of a diaper have been described above, it should be understood that other diaper and absorbent article configurations are also included within the scope of the present invention. In addition, the present invention is by no means limited to diapers. In fact, several examples of absorbent articles are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,916 to DiPalma, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,110,158 to Kielpikowski; U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,611 to Blaney, et al., which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference thereto for all purposes. Further, other examples of personal care products that may incorporate such materials are training pants (such as in side panel materials) and feminine care products. By way of illustration only, training pants suitable for use with the present invention and various materials and methods for constructing the training pants are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,761,711 to Fletcher et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,464 to Van Gompel et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,389 to Brandon et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,645,190 to Olson et al., which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference thereto for all purposes.

The present invention may be better understood with reference to the following examples.

TEST METHODS

% Heat Shrinkage

To measure heat-activated retraction, marks spaced 100 millimeters apart are placed on the material while it is still under tension on the roll. The material is then released from tension on the roll and a length of material containing the marks is cut from the roll. Immediately after releasing the material and cutting it, the distance between the marks is measured again to determine the initial length (Before Heated Retraction Length or “BHRL”). The material is then submerged in water (160° F.) for at least 30 seconds, but no more than 1 minute. Thereafter, the distance between the marks is again measured (After Heated Retraction Length or “AHRL”). The percent shrinkage is indicative of the latent elasticity of the material and is calculated by the following equation: % shrinkage=100*(BHRL−AHRL)/BHRL

Three measurements are averaged for each sample to be tested. The measurements are taken at ambient conditions.

Cycle Testing

The materials were tested using a cyclical testing procedure to determine load loss and percent set. In particular, 2-cycle testing was utilized to 100% defined elongation. For this test, the sample size was 3 inches in the cross-machine direction by 6 inches in the machine direction. The Grip size was 3 inches in width. The grip separation was 4 inches. The samples were loaded such that the machine direction of the sample was in the vertical direction. A preload of approximately 10 to 15 grams was set. The test pulled the sample to 100% elongation at a speed of 20 inches per minute, and then immediately (without pause) returned to the zero at a speed of 20 inches per minute. The results of the test data are all from the first and second cycles. The testing was done on a Sintech Corp. constant rate of extension tester 2/S with a Renew MTS mongoose box (controller) using TESTWORKS 4.07b software (Sintech Corp, of Cary, N.C.). The tests were conducted under ambient conditions.

EXAMPLE 1

A polymer blend was initially formed from 50 wt. % KRATON® MD6673 (Kraton Polymers, LLC of Houston Tex.) and 50 wt. % AFFINITY™ PL1280 (Dow Chemical Co. of Midland, Mich.). AFFINITYT™ PL1280 is a metallocene-catalyzed LLDPE having a density of 0.90 grams per cubic centimeter, a melting point of 96° C., and a melt index of 6.0 grams per 10 minutes (190° C., 2.16 kg). KRATON® MD6673 contains 68 wt. % of a styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene block copolymer (KRATON® MD6937), 20 wt. % REGALREZ™ 1126 (Eastman Chemical) and 12 wt. % EPOLENE™ C-10 polyethylene wax (Eastman Chemical). The polymers were compounded by weighing appropriate portions of pellets of each polymer, combining them into one container, and mixing them together by stirring. After compounding, the film samples were extruded using a small scale single screw blown film line with a 1.75-inch extruder, air ring, 3-inch die, and collapsing tower, all manufactured by Killion. The extruder had three temperature zones and a die with a controlled temperature. The temperature profile was arranged so that a melt temperature of about 370° F. was achieved. After quenching from the air ring and collapsing the bubble (collapsing nip was run at about 60 feet per minute), the film was wound onto a take-up roll at 61 feet per minute. The screw speed was adjusted as needed to reach the desired final basis weight of 38 grams per square meter. Upon testing, it was determined that the film had an “After Heated Retraction Length” (“AHRL”) of 91.

EXAMPLE 2

A film was formed as described in Example 1, except that it was stretched in the machine direction after quenching at a draw ratio of 3.0 (i.e., 3 times its original length). The stretching was performed between two sets of driven nips. The first nip ran at 50 feet per minute and the second nip ran at 150 feet per minute. The film was “cold drawn” in that no additional heat was supplied to the film during stretching. The screw speed was adjusted as needed to reach the desired final basis weight of 37 grams per square meter. Thereafter, the stretched film was allowed to relax to 1.5 times its original length by winding it up onto a take-up roll at 75 feet per minute. Upon testing, it was determined that the film had an “After Heated Retraction Length” (“AHRL”) of 55 and a percent set of 17.1% (cycle tested to 100% extension).

EXAMPLE 3

A polymer blend was initially formed from 50 wt. % KRATON® MD6673 (Kraton Polymers, LLC of Houston Tex.) and 50 wt. % EXACT™ 5361 (ExxonMobil Chemical Co.). EXACT™ 5361 is a metallocene-catalyzed polyethylene plastomer having a density of 0.86 grams per cubic centimeter, a melting point of 50° C., and a melt index of 3.0 grams per 10 minutes (190° C., 2.16 kg). The polymers were compounded by weighing appropriate portions of pellets of each polymer, combining them into one container, and mixing them together by stirring. After compounding, the film samples were extruded using a small scale single screw blown film line with a 1.75-inch extruder, air ring, 3-inch die, and collapsing tower, all manufactured by Killion. The extruder had three temperature zones and a die with a controlled temperature. The temperature profile was arranged so that a melt temperature of about 365° F. was achieved. After quenching from the air ring and collapsing the bubble (collapsing nip was run at about 40 feet per minute), the film was stretched in the machine direction to a draw ratio of 3.0 (i.e., 3 times its original length) between a first nip (speed of 40 feet per minute) and a second nip (speed of 120 feet per minute). The film was “cold drawn” in that no additional heat was supplied to the film during stretching. Thereafter, the stretched film was allowed to relax to approximately 1.5 times its original length by winding it up onto a take-up roll at 75 feet per minute. The screw speed was adjusted to approximately 41 RPMs to reach the desired final basis weight of 48 grams per square meter. The “After Heated Retraction Length” (“AHRL”) of the film was determined by placing it into an oven at 165° F. for 1 minute. The resulting AHRL was 65.

EXAMPLE 4

A film was formed as described in Example 3, except that the target basis weight was 52 grams per square meter and the film was maintained in its stretched state during winding (i.e., take up roll speed was 120 feet per minute). The “After Heated Retraction Length” (“AHRL”) of the film was determined by placing it into an oven at 165° F. for 1 minute. The resulting AHRL was 49. Upon testing, it was also determined that the film had a percent set of 6.8% (cycle tested to 100% extension).

EXAMPLE 5

A polymer blend was initially formed from 50 wt. % KRATON® MD6673 (Kraton Polymers, LLC of Houston, Tex.) and 50 wt. % AFFINITY™ 58380.04L (Dow Chemical Co.). AFFINITY™ 58380.04L is a metallocene-catalyzed LLDPE having a density of 0.863 grams per cubic centimeter, a melting point of 55° C., and a melt index of 5.0 grams per 10 minutes (190° C., 2.16 kg). The polymers were compounded by weighing appropriate portions of pellets of each polymer, combining them into one container, and mixing them together by stirring. After compounding, the film samples were extruded using a small scale single screw blown film line with a 1.75-inch extruder, air ring, 3-inch die, and collapsing tower, all manufactured by Killion. The extruder had three temperature zones and a die with a controlled temperature. The temperature profile was arranged so that a melt temperature of about 390° F. was achieved. After quenching from the air ring and collapsing the bubble (collapsing nip was run at about 50 feet per minute), the film was stretched in the machine direction to a draw ratio of 3.0 (i.e., 3 times its original length) between a first nip (speed of 50 feet per minute) and a second nip (speed of 150 feet per minute). The film was “cold drawn” in that no additional heat was supplied to the film during stretching. Thereafter, the stretched film was wound onto a take-up roll at 150 feet per minute. The screw speed was adjusted to approximately 37 RPMs to reach the desired final basis weight of 28 grams per square meter. Upon testing, it was determined that the film had an AHRL of 51 and a percent set of 10.7% (cycle tested to 100% extension).

EXAMPLE 6

The ability to form an elastic composite from a latent elastic film was demonstrated. The latent elastic film was a multi-layered film having an “skin-core” structure. The core comprised 94 wt. % of the film and the skin layer comprised 6 wt. % of the film. The core was formed from varying percentages of KRATON® MD6673 (Kraton Polymers, LLC of Houston Tex.) and EXACT™ 5361 (ExxonMobil Chemical Co.). The skin layer was formed from varying combinations of an experimental propylene-based plastomer or elastomer (“PBPE”) (available from Dow Chemical Co.) and a filler compound (Standridge Color Corp.). The propylene-based plastomer or elastomer (“PBPE”) had a density of 0.858 grams/cm³, a melt flow rate (at 230° C.) of 2 grams per 10 minutes, and an ethylene content of 15% by weight of the PBPE. Such PBPE materials are taught in WO 03/040442, and U.S. Application 60/709,668 (filed 19 Aug. 2005), each of which is incorporated by reference. The filler compound contained calcium carbonate blended with polypropylene and polypropylene random copolymers.

Several film samples (Samples 1-9) were formed. The polymers were compounded by weighing appropriate portions of pellets of each polymer, combining them into one container, and mixing them together by stirring. After compounding, the film samples were extruded using a small scale triple screw blown film line with a 1.75-inch extruder (Killion) and two 16-millimeter extruders (Collin GmbH). The blown film line also employed an air ring (Collin GmbH), 3-inch die (Collin GmbH), and collapsing tower (Killion). Each extruder had three temperature zones and a die with a controlled temperature. The core layer was extruded from the 1.75-inch and from one 16-mm extruder, and the skin layer was extruded from the second 16-mm extruder. The temperature profile for the core extruders was arranged so that a melt temperature of about 375° F. was achieved. The temperature profile for the skin extruder was arranged so that a melt temperature of about 190° C. was achieved.

After quenching from the air ring and collapsing the bubble (collapsing nip was run at 20 feet per minute), the film was stretched in the machine direction at a draw ratio of 3 or 4 (i.e., 3 or 4 times its original length). The films were stretched between two sets of driven nips. The first nip ran at 20 feet per minute, and the second nip ran at 60 feet per minute (draw ratio of 3) or 80 feet per minute (draw ratio of 4). The film was then fed through a rotary bonder square diamond bond pattern having a bond area of 8%-14% and a pin density of 52 pins per square inch. Anvil and patterned rolls were employed at 150° F. and a pressure of 30 pounds per square inch on both sides of the rotary bonder. The films were then thermally bonded to a polypropylene spunbond facing having a basis weight of approximately 13.6 grams per square meter. The laminates were wound so as to maintain the stretch at the winder.

The materials were heat activated and cycle tested as described above. The results are set forth below in Tables 2 and 3.

TABLE 2 Film Sample Construction Core Skin Basis Weight of Kraton ® Exact ™ Filler Film at Sample 6673 5361 PBPE Compound Winder (gsm) 1 50% 50% 0% 100% 108 2 50% 50% 50% 50% 83 3 50% 50% 50% 50% 92 4 60% 40% 50% 50% 122 5 60% 40% 50% 50% 96 6 70% 30% 50% 50% 96 7 70% 30% 50% 50% 116 8 80% 20% 50% 50% 106 9 80% 20% 50% 50% 120

TABLE 3 Laminate Properties Cycle 1 Cycle 2 Load Load Load Load Load Load Norm up up down up up down down Sample Stretch BHRL AHRL % shrinkage 50% 100% 50% Hyst. % 50% 100% 50% Set % 50% 1 3x 86 39 54.7 885 1268 454 43 652 1214 437 12.8 72.8 2 3x 87 37 57.5 1363 1840 815 34.5 1071 1775 787 11.8 112.4 3 4x 76 30 60.5 1583 2127 1024 30.3 1298 2065 995 10.9 124.4 4 3x 81 39 51.9 1529 2009 985 31 1239 1938 949 10.4 105.4 5 4x 68 25 63.2 1732 2258 1149 29.5 1425 2192 1111 10.1 111.1 6 3x 76 38 50.0 1453 1942 911 32.7 1169 1875 884 11 80.4 7 4x 67 29 56.7 1762 2317 1220 27.1 1477 2244 1176 10 98.0 8 3x 72 36 50.0 1651 2122 1054 33.1 1329 2050 1023 10.1 78.7 9 4x 59 28 52.5 2089 2703 1378 30.7 1718 2629 1343 9.9 95.9

Each of the blend combinations provided good elastic behavior. Further, increasing the amount of stretch resulted in a lower AHRL value. However, increasing the amount of stretch also resulted in a higher BHRL value, which is undesirable during conversion of the laminate into a final product (e.g., diapers or training pants). The dimensional stability of the laminate, i.e., % shrinkage, may thus be optimized by selecting the appropriate polymer blend. In this Example, for instance, Samples 1-3 (50%/50%) achieved a good combination of BHRL and AHRL, and consequently led to good shrinkage values. Unactivated portions of Samples 2 and 6 were also converted into the waistband of a diaper through adhesive lamination to the diaper's shell. During the conversion process, the entire diaper was heated in an over at a temperature of 160° F. for 15 minutes. Thereafter, it was determined that the average % shrinkage (for 10 samples) of the circumference of the waistband was 52.72% for Sample 2 and 50.72% for Sample 6.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to the specific embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of the foregoing, may readily conceive of alterations to, variations of, and equivalents to these embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be assessed as that of the appended claims and any equivalents thereto. 

1. A method of forming a nonwoven composite having latent elasticity, the method comprising: extruding a blend containing at least one thermoplastic elastomer and at least one single-site catalyzed semi-crystalline polyolefin having a density of from about 0.85 to about 0.88 g/cm³, wherein the semi-crystalline polyolefin constitutes from about 30 wt. % to about 85 wt. % of the polymer content of the blend and the thermoplastic elastomer constitutes from about 15 wt. % to about 70 wt. % of the polymer content of the blend; forming a film from the extruded blend; quenching the film; uniaxially stretching the quenched film in an at least the machine direction at a draw ratio of from about 1 .5 to about 5.0 without applying external heat; and bonding the stretched film to the nonwoven web material to form a nonwoven composite, wherein the composite exhibits a heat shrinkage of about 40% or more after being heated in water at 160° F. for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the film is stretched at a draw ratio of from about 2.5 to about 4.5.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the film is stretched at a temperature below the melting point of the semi-crystalline polyolefin.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the film is stretched at a temperature of from about 15° C. to about 50° C.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the film is stretched at a temperature of from about 30° C. to about 40° C.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising winding the composite onto a roll, wherein the composite is substantially inhibited from retracting in the machine direction during winding onto the roll.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic elastomer is selected from the group consisting of styrene-butadiene, styrene-isoprene, styrene-butadiene-styrene, styrene-isoprene-styrene, styrene-(ethylene-butylene), styrene-(ethylene-propylene), styrene-(ethylene-butylene)-styrene, styrene-(ethylene-propylene)-styrene, styrene-(ethylene-butylene)-styrene-(ethylene-butylene), styrene-(ethylene-propylene)-styrene-(ethylene-propylene), and styrene-ethylene-(ethylene-propylene)-styrene, and combinations thereof.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the semi-crystalline polyolefin has a density of from about 0.85 to about 0.87 grams per cubic centimeter.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the semi-crystalline polymer is an ethylene/α-olefin copolymer, propylene/α-olefin copolymer, or a combination thereof.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic elastomer constitutes from about 30 wt. % to about 60 wt. % of the polymer content of the blend.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the semi-crystalline polyolefin constitutes from about 40 wt. % to about 70 wt. % of the polymer content of the blend.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the ratio of the amount of the semi-crystalline polyolefin to the amount of the thermoplastic elastomer in the blend is from about 1.0 to about 2.0.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the nonwoven web material contains a spunbond web, meltblown web, or a combination thereof.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the composite exhibits a heat shrinkage of about 60% or more after being heated in water at 160° F. for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the composite exhibits a heat shrinkage of about 50% or more after being heated in water at 160° F. for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
 16. The method of claim 1, wherein the film is not breathable.
 17. The method of claim 1, wherein the film is not breathable.
 18. The method of claim 1, wherein the extruded blend is blown into nip rolls to form the film.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the nip rolls are at a temperature sufficient to quench the film.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the stretching comprises passing the quenched film through first and second sets of rolls, wherein the first set of rolls is traveling at a speed that is slower than the second set of rolls. 